Author: The Tipsy Nerd

Plantation Grande Reserve 5Y

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Ah. Rum plus sales price, equals win. There’s always a chance to try something new with less risk, and with the possibility that it will be a great option to buy again.

I am a fan of the Plantation Double Aged Dark rum. So I decided to give the Grande Reserve 5 Year a try. It is the first truly “aged” liquor that I have purchased. Anything else that is I have that is labeled as “aged” is a blend of ages. This is supposed to be aged for five years. There is no way that I can confirm or deny, but it has a distinctive flavor that comes from being in a  charred barrel.

Upon  opening, the smell is banana, sugar, and alcohol. I taste a slight sweetness, hint of char, alcohol, and that banana flavor. I can almost drink it chilled or over ice in small quantities, which for me, is saying something.

Update: I’m sipping it in small quantities! It is less harsh than the Appleton Signature Blend. I get an almost caramel sweetness, a hint of banana, and sometimes a taste of coconut.

It makes a good Rum and Coke, but I’m curious how it will be in other cocktails.

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Paid: $22 (on sale)

Buy Again: Probably

Siboney

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This a great cocktail that highlights passion fruit syrup. It is tart, and sweet. Along with that, add a good dark rum and it is full of flavor!

1.0 oz dark Jamaican rum (I used Plantation Double Aged Dark)
0.5 oz Lemon juice
0.5 oz Pineapple juice
0.5 oz Passion fruit syrup (I used Possmei)

Add ice and all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain. Pour.

That’s a good cocktail!

After Work Special

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The After Work Special is a sweet cocktail that is a good showcase for Almond liqueur, and uses pretty common ingredients.

0.75 oz Almond liqueur
0.5 oz Coconut rum
0.25 oz White rum
1 oz Orange juice
1 oz Pineapple juice

In a (Collins) glass, add ice cubes. Add in Almond liqueur, coconut rum, white rum. Top with orange juice and pineapple juice.

Alternatively, add it all in a shaker with ice, shake and serve. Tasty either way!

DeKuyper Creme De Cacao

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Dessert. Chocolate. Alcohol.

Chocolate. Alcohol. Dessert.

I was intrigued at the idea of a number of dessert cocktails. Mudslides and Grasshoppers, and Alexanders, oh my!

Creme de Cacao (labeled on my bottle as Creme de Cocoa) is a chocolate liqueur available in a clear version or a brown version. It smells like chocolate. It tastes like chocolate. The alcohol is very subdued, no doubt due to the sugar content. Did I mention it is sweet? Very sweet? A little goes a long way.

Honestly, it hasn’t gotten too much use so far. With winter coming, it may get more use.

Proof: 48 (24% ABV)

Paid: $10

Buy again: Yes (but not very often)

 

Pirate’s Gold

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This evening’s selection was one that I had previously tried. It has just enough tartness.

(I spared you the cocktail-glass-with-yellow-liquid photo. You’re welcome!)

1 oz Southern Comfort
0.5 oz Gold Rum
2 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
0.25 oz Simple Syrup

Fill a shaker with ice. Add the ingredients. Shake, shake, shake. Strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy

Gran Gala Orange Liqueur

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From the beginning of my cocktail experiments, I have been fascinated by orange liqueur, triple sec, curacao, and any other names you might want to line up to describe an essence of orange and a base spirit. I had started with Cointreau, fallen to the bottom shelf with Bols Triple Sec, and climbed halfway back up to find Gran Gala.

As usual, the walk around the ABC store after the first of the month draws my eye towards sales. And on that particular month, I found Gran Gala. Reviews were all over the place, but a blind tasting put it up in the decent realm.

So, purchase made, and back to the Lair. The aroma was sweet and certainly had some orange. It was fine in cocktails, so no complaints. It does bring a punch (of alcohol at 80 proof ) to the punch, so to speak. The only difference from previous or current orange liqueurs I’ve tried is the color. It is sort of a golden brown. Not a big issue, but is does color drinks, where other clear liqueurs don’t (aside from blue curacao) .

Proof: 80 (40% ABV)

Paid: $15 (on sale)

Buy again: Yes

Copa de Oro Coffee Liqueur

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Boy, those sale prices get my attention. While perusing the shelves, I ran across Copa de Oro Coffee Liqueur, a Kahlua knock off. Now, I am a coffee lover. So this was an opportunity to mix coffee and cocktails.

Copa de Oro, upon opening, smells like coffee with sweetener. In a shot glass, the sip revealed a very sweet, thick, coffee syrup. There was very little alcohol taste. Aside from the heavy sweetness, I could drink this straight, or over ice.

The first cocktail I tried was a Black and White, which is simply coffee liqueur and Half ‘n Half. It was very good, but very dessert like. I have also used it more recently in the Mr Bali Hai, which I enjoyed immensely.

I think I’d like to try another brand to see if it is equally as sweet.

Proof: 44 (22% ABV)

Price: $7 for 750ml (on sale)

Buy again: Probably

DeKuyper Blue Curacao

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Let’s face it. Blue Curacao is used for adding blue color to drinks, because Windex isn’t safe to drink! In the DeKuyper bottling, there may be some fake orange flavor and a sweet component. But, it’s blue!

I have seen reviews of other brands that might be a little truer to an orange curacao, and less focused on the blue coloring.

Proof: 30 (15% ABV)

Paid: $ for 750ml

Buy again: Probably (I have blue drinks to make!)

Bacardi Banana Rum

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Bacardi must have the largest line of rums in the world. That isn’t saying that they are all good.

I bought this miniature (50ml) bottle just to try it on a whim. It has the same artificial banana flavor that I find in banana liqueur, mixed with a very basic white rum taste with some white rum burn.

From a cocktail point of view, I guess its easier to have two-in-one than separate bottles. Maybe? I don’t know. I think I’ll just stick to having a good white rum and a good banana liqueur.

Proof: 70 (35% ABV)

Paid: $1 for 50ml

Buy again: No

Malibu Coconut Rum

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Malibu is almost synonymous with coconut rum. I had previously bought and tried Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum, which is very good. It tastes natural is has a good sweetness level.

Malibu hit me with the smell of alcohol with just a little coconut. It tastes first of sugar, followed by coconut. The taste wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t read the reviews and seen the ratings. This was another curiosity purchase. I bought a miniature (50ml) bottle of Malibu just to try it, so no great loss.

Proof: 42 (21% ABV)

Paid: $1 for 50ml

Buy again: No